Embarking on a big build with limited experience can be a disaster as the builder quickly finds themselves out of their depth — and while this scratch-built, tube-frame Pontiac Firebird Trans Am project wasn’t without its bumps in the road, builder Riley Stair has pulled it off incredibly well and learned a whole lot in the process.

Use “RILEY100” to get $100 Off HPA’s Fabrication Starter Package: https://hpcdmy.co/fabpackageb

Riley Stair had a unique journey towards cars. Before picking up a TIG torch or heading anywhere near a race circuit, he spent his days honing his craft as a professional BMX racer.

It was only after one too many injuries on the bike that Riley decided it was time to stop racing and start building serious cars. Instead of following the usual route and enrolling in a trade school, he decided to dive in with both feet and build a vicious track car from scratch in what just might be the boldest hands-on learning exercise we’ve ever seen.

We start this episode by following Riley’s path towards starting his own business, RS Motorsport, and delve into his reasoning behind learning everything by doing. Riley came out the other side of this process as a great welder, fabricator, and builder of very cool cars. He also has a super-high-quality 1000hp, 10,000rpm, tube-frame Pontiac to show for it.

This conversation dives deep into a host of motorsport fabrication topics, discussing everything from TIG welding tips and tricks, to choosing the right material for your project, designing and building a tube frame chassis, and much more.

We also dig into the 1970 Firebird Trans Am build in detail, covering why Riley wanted to keep it NA, how he designed the pushrod suspension system and the mistakes that needed to happen so he could learn and improve.

As a one-man-band outfit, RS Motorsport has its limitations and challenges — so to finish up, Riley discusses the business side of the equation, talking about the hidden headaches of setting up and running a company offering services that are very much in demand.

Watch the interview with Carl Thompson here: https://youtu.be/9TIrPvG7iHM?si=Q75nyYJi5PC_r_EO

Follow Riley here:
IG: @riley_rsmotorsport
YT: RS Motorsport
WWW: rsmotorsportusa.com

Don’t forget, you can use “RILEY100” to get $100 Off HPA’s Fabrication Starter Package: https://hpcdmy.co/fabpackageb

Timestamps:
4:07 How did you develop an interest in cars?
6:41 What drew you towards road racing over drag racing?
9:09 Do you have any formal qualifications that relate to your business?
13:50 How did you learn to TIG weld?
16:23 Welding process for reactive metals, shielding gas
23:47 Accurate fit up when TIG welding
25:35 Materials for turbo manifolds pros and cons?
32:47 Using off-the-shelf merge collectors vs hand fabricating
34:31 Gas lenses and cups, what are they and how do they work?
40:12 What are the challenges with aluminium welding?
56:11 Pontiac Firebird build
1:11:11 How did you plan out the tube chassis?
1:17:05 Pushrod suspension
1:18:49 Why NA? And why the aim for 1000HP?
1:24:19 8 into 1 headers
1:27:42 What ECU is the Firebird running?
1:28:08 What happened when you got the car to the track?
133:58 What changes have been made since you got the car on track?
1:40:42 Challenges with RS Motorsport business
1:56:36 Are you using any 3D scanning or CAD in your fab work?
2:02:25 Final 3 questions

Don't waste time shifting gears.

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The 1000hp capable Honda K24 in Mike Burroughs Stanceworks 244 GTK Ferrari build is useless without the ability to put power to the ground, and Scott Hilzinger of Haltech explains how the Haltech electronics system handles this via a Quaife 5-speed dog engagement gearbox.

This setup utilises a load cell gear knob and shift position sensor as well as other sensors on the car to give data on if the gear changing is optimal when it comes to keeping the car balanced and as fast as possible, with INCREASED reliability over manual gear shifts.

Also, why are 'pops and bangs' bad for an engine, and what can a tuner do to help avoid them to give some mechanical sympathy?

Driving talent only gets you so far in professional motorsport — if you want to make it, you’ll need the full package… Plus a healthy dose of luck.

In this episode, professional driver Billy Johnson gives us his thoughts on the challenges of turning driving into a job, the best way to spend 10k as a track newbie, why the Skyline GT-R is seriously overrated, the less glamorous realities of 24-hour racing, and much more.

Use “BILLY50” to get $50 off HPA’s Race Driving Fundamentals course: https://hpcdmy.co/raceb

Billy Johnson is a professional driving coach, race driver, and factory development driver who has had a long career in the game despite his young age.

We start by discussing the path Billy took to be able to drive for a living full-time, despite not coming from a motorsport family. Predictably, this involves a deep dive into karts and his progression through the ranks towards working for Ford developing the GT, GT350, and GT500.

Billy has also raced for Ford in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and NASCAR, as well as many other prestigious competitions all over the globe, meaning he’s able to give some great insight into what it takes to drive these gruelling competitions and the extremely long stints they sometimes demand.

This discussion provides a fascinating insight into the cutthroat world of motorsport at the higher levels, giving us a much better idea of what it takes to rise above all the other equally talented drivers out there gunning for the same seat.

The conversation also covers the cars themselves. With Billy’s experience behind the wheel of extremely rapid time-attack Honda NSXs, we have to ask him what makes this 90s icon so good, and, in his opinion, why it's so superior to another popular time attack weapon — the Skyline GT-R.

With some interesting discussion around motorsport-level driving aids, simulators, and the best beginner track car for under 10 and 50k (is Miata always the answer?), this episode is packed with great info!

Follow Billy here:
IG: @billyjracing
FB: Billy J Racing
X: @billyjracing
LI: Billy Johnson
WWW: billyjohnsonracing.com

Don’t forget, you can use “BILLY50” to get $50 off HPA’s Race Driving Fundamentals course: https://hpcdmy.co/raceb

Timestamps:
4:04 How did you develop an interest in cars?
13:38 Having an understanding of engineering as a driver
18:49 Why are karts a normal stepping stone into a motorsport career?
20:28 What is race craft?
31:18 What is it that makes time attack an interesting form of racing?
39:24 Difficulties of going from one warm-up lap to a flying lap in time attack?
44:21 What do I do to improve my lap times?
54:28 Time Attack NSX and its handling
1:07:14 Engine package in the NSX
1:09:08 Oil starvation and dry sumps
1:15:53 NSX aero package
1:18:18 Driver aids
1:32:40 24-hour endurance racing, physical and mental fitness
1:37:13 Tyre management over a long stint
1:44:29 Tips for novice drivers taking their car to the track
1:50:41 Does sim driving improve driver skills?
1:56:32 What is a good entry-level track car?
2:03:29 Final three questions